Farming matters

Over the last few days the field opposite me has been a hive of activity.
First thing Monday morning equipment came and started to lift the sugar beet. I was amazed just how quickly this was done. When I was young on the Railway we had what we called Pick-ups. This was where we dropped wagons or picked them up from designated areas. Some farms had a small siding where we would drop a couple of 13ton wagons. Often these were for such as sugar beet. It would take a week or more to fill those wagons. This field was completed in less than 2 days.
Today I noticed that work was going on at a pace, I went out to see what was happening. Just then one tractor stopped at the field end. The man got out of his tractor and came over to see me. I recognised him as he would often acknowledge me. It turned out to be the farmer himself. I remarked that he had been very busy and that the beet looked very good. He told me that it was so. I told him that I had every intention to take a photo and put it on my blog as it was such a long time that I have seen such organisation in a field. I told him that the first tractor was ploughing, the second was harrowing(Breaking the soil down to a fine tilth) and I presumed that the third which was the one he was driving was setting(drilling). Yes he admitted that was the truth. I asked him what he was setting and he replied wheat. He then told me that he thought that he would manage to get over 30 tons an acre of sugar beet. I remarked how efficient the operation was, but I thought that perhaps he was a week or so later than the optimum time. He agreed that he wished that he could have been a week sooner but it was the contractor who had this machine that lifted and trimmed the beet, then a tractor and trailer would get close and the contraption would fill the trailer in seconds.
We went on to discuss several things for the next 30 minutes, I thoroughly enjoyed the time as it was several years since being involved in any sort of the farm life.
By now it was raining a little and getting dark. I told him that the photo would have to wait, he then told me that he should be here tomorrow to finish off the field. By the way, I guess the field is about 8 acres. Perhaps a photo tomorrow. By the way I was cold when I went indoors, guess I am not used to it. More soon.